Week #16 of my 2011 maintenance program is complete, and it’s time for my weekly progress report. My goal is to complete 2011 without ever rising above 10% body fat. My scale weight this morning (as measured by the ) is 178.8 pounds. That’s a 0.4 pound gain since last week’s weight of 178.4 pounds, and a 5.2 pound gain from my end-of-cut weight of 173.6 pounds. My 7-point body fat reading this morning is… [Read more]
Added July 31, 2011 by John Stone
I got the Shimano M647 clipless pedals mounted & made my shoe choice.
As you can see in the photos, the have arrived and are mounted to my bike! I talked about bike maintenance and repair in my July 27, 2011 blog, and swapping the pedals out is one of the easiest “Level I” bike repairs one can perform. While the procedure for removing/mounting pedals to a bike is very simple, the one caveat is that (like many bike repairs) the job is made much easier with a… [Read more]
Added July 30, 2011 by John Stone
Early weight training workout; Clipless shoes.
I woke up this morning really in the mood to lift weights. I decided to eat a light breakfast (a QuestBar and a banana), and about thirty minutes later I walked into the gym ready for a great back and biceps workout. Actually I have been doing very little direct biceps work of late. Same for triceps. These days I’m mostly focused on compound exercises. I switch around from week to week between high volume… [Read more]
Added July 29, 2011 by John Stone
It’s decided: I’m finally going clipless.
So yesterday my local bike shop called with a bit of unexpected news: the Crank Brothers 5050 XX platform pedals they ordered for me have been discontinued! My first thought was, “Bummer! Oh well, I’ve got some alternate choices…” Then it dawned on me: this was kismet. Many JSF members who are bikers (both road and mtb) have been urging me to go clipless for quite some time now. Also, a couple of days ago… [Read more]
Added July 28, 2011 by John Stone
Bike maintenance.
Over the past couple of years I’ve done more and more of my own bike maintenance. Taking my bike to the shop is a pain, it’s expensive and (worst of all) it puts me out of action while the shop is working on it–often several days. Some repairs are relatively simple to perform, while others can be extremely complicated. I’ve discovered that most common maintenance tasks and repairs can be performed at home. Just be… [Read more]
Added July 27, 2011 by John Stone
New Trek Fuel EX 8 inaugural ride: 33.1 glorious miles.
I took my new Trek Fuel EX 8 bike out for its first real ride yesterday, and today I’d like to share my thoughts about the bike. I rode a total of 33.1 miles: 8 miles on paved roads and 25.1 miles on the dirt. The first thing I should mention is how comfortable the bike felt. The 18.5″ frame fits me perfectly, and I love the wide Bontrager (690mm) handlebars with a slight (25mm)… [Read more]
Added July 26, 2011 by John Stone
I bought a new mountain bike yesterday.
My Trek 4300 Disc hardtail mountain bike has served me well over the past two years, but lately I’ve been thinking very strongly about making the leap to a full-suspension bike. Yesterday I decided to head over to the bike shop and I spent the day trying out some full suspension bikes. The bike that impressed me the most was the Trek Fuel EX 8. The 18.5″ frame fit me like a glove (my Trek… [Read more]
Added July 25, 2011 by John Stone
2011 maintenance weekly progress report: week #15.
Week #15 of my 2011 maintenance program is complete, and it’s time for my weekly progress report. My goal is to complete 2011 without ever rising above 10% body fat. My scale weight this morning (as measured by the ) is 178.4 pounds. That’s a 0.8 pound loss since last week’s weight of 179.2 pounds, and a 4.8 pound gain from my end-of-cut weight of 173.6 pounds. My 7-point body fat reading this morning is… [Read more]
Added July 24, 2011 by John Stone
I’m really feeling these miles, would a full suspention bike help?
For quite a few months now I’ve had a weird sort of pulled muscle feeling on the right side of my back. The pain is not in my lower back (which, by the way, has given me absolutely no trouble since I stopped deadlifts and squats); it’s sort of in the middle-right of my back. It’s really hard to pinpoint exactly where the pain is because it’s so deep. Like I said, it’s been bothering… [Read more]
Added July 23, 2011 by John Stone
Racking up the miles: Another 30.1 miles mountain biking yesterday!
Despite the crazy heat and humidity I’ve really been enjoying the trails this week. I think not having time to ride for an entire week really made me appreciate just how much I love mountain biking. Yesterday I did 30.1 miles, bringing my two-day total to 55.7 miles (all off-road). I wish could ride again today. The humidity yesterday was much worse than it was on Wednesday, and I was really sweating hard the entire… [Read more]
